CFO Job Description

CFO Job Description

A Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is the most senior finance executive in an organisation — the board-level professional responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day management of the company’s financial affairs. The CFO role has expanded considerably over the past decade. Where the role was once primarily concerned with financial reporting, cash management, and compliance, it now encompasses strategic business partnership, investor relations, digital finance transformation, data-led decision support, and in many businesses, direct contribution to the commercial and operational agenda alongside the CEO.

This page sets out a comprehensive CFO job description for UK businesses — covering the core responsibilities, qualifications, and competencies of the role — alongside variant descriptions for fractional, interim, and PE-backed CFO appointments. FD Capital is a specialist CFO and Finance Director recruitment firm and our team recruits across the full range of CFO engagement models. Call 020 3287 9501 or email recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk if you are looking to recruit a CFO.

CFO Job Description Template

The following job description covers the standard CFO role in a UK business. The responsibilities and requirements should be adapted to reflect the specific size, sector, and ownership structure of your organisation.

Job title: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Board of Directors
Direct reports: Finance Director / Financial Controller / Head of Finance / FP&A Manager (depending on organisational structure)
Location: [Location] / Hybrid
Engagement: Permanent / Full-Time [or Fractional / Part-Time / Interim as applicable]

Role overview

The Chief Financial Officer is a member of the executive leadership team responsible for all financial and commercial aspects of the business. The CFO provides strategic financial leadership, ensures the integrity of the company’s financial reporting, manages the relationships with banks, investors, and lenders, and contributes directly to business strategy, growth planning, and value creation. The CFO works closely with the CEO as the second most senior executive in the organisation and is accountable to the Board for the financial health and financial governance of the business.

CFO Key Responsibilities

Financial reporting and management accounts

• Ownership of monthly management accounts — producing accurate, timely financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) within agreed deadlines
• Production of board packs and investor reports including financial commentary, KPI analysis, and variance explanations
• Management of the annual statutory accounts process, liaising with external auditors and ensuring accounts are filed to deadline
• Maintenance of accounting systems, financial controls, and record-keeping to the standard required by the business and its stakeholders
• Ensuring compliance with relevant accounting standards (UK GAAP or IFRS as applicable) and regulatory requirements

Financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting

• Leading the annual budgeting and business planning process in coordination with the CEO, department heads, and the Board
• Maintaining a rolling twelve-month cash flow forecast and communicating the liquidity position and runway to the Board regularly
• Building and maintaining the company’s financial model — including scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, and investment appraisal
• Providing financial analysis to support strategic decisions including new product launches, geographic expansion, capital investment, and acquisitions
• Leading the FP&A function and ensuring the business has the financial data and analytics it needs to make informed commercial decisions

Treasury, banking, and working capital

• Managing the company’s banking relationships, including negotiating and maintaining credit facilities, overdrafts, and term loans
• Optimising working capital — managing debtor days, creditor payment terms, and stock management to maximise cash generation
• Managing the company’s cash position, including cash flow forecasting, foreign currency exposure management, and interest rate risk where applicable
• Overseeing payroll, tax payments, VAT filing, and other statutory financial obligations

Strategic and commercial finance

• Acting as the CEO’s strategic partner — contributing to the overall business strategy with financial modelling, commercial analysis, and risk assessment
• Leading or supporting the financial workstream in M&A activity — financial due diligence, acquisition modelling, deal structuring, and post-acquisition integration
• Supporting fundraising activity — preparing financial information for investors, managing the financial aspects of PE, VC, or debt fundraising processes
• Oversight of pricing strategy, margin analysis, and commercial contract review from a financial perspective
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to improve financial performance, reduce costs, and optimise the capital structure of the business

Investor relations and governance

• Managing the relationship with the company’s investors, including producing quarterly investor reports, managing investment committee presentations, and maintaining regular financial communication
• Ensuring the company’s financial governance framework — including financial controls, authorisation limits, and risk management procedures — is fit for purpose and consistently applied
• Acting as the primary point of contact for external auditors, HMRC, Companies House, and relevant regulatory bodies
• For PE-backed or VC-backed businesses: covenant compliance monitoring, lender relationship management, and investor financial reporting

Finance team leadership

• Building, leading, and developing the finance team — recruiting, managing, and retaining the finance professionals required to support the business’s growth
• Implementing and improving financial systems, processes, and technology to support efficiency and scalability
• Fostering a culture of financial awareness and commercial accountability across the wider business
• Coaching and developing the direct reports within the finance function with a view to succession planning

CFO Person Specification

Essential qualifications

• Qualified accountant — ACA, ACCA, or CIMA (or international equivalent). ICAEW qualification is a common standard for senior CFO appointments in the UK
• Significant post-qualification experience in a senior finance leadership role (typically 10+ years)
• Demonstrable experience in a comparable business by size, sector, or ownership structure

Essential experience and competencies

• Financial reporting — production of management accounts, statutory accounts, and board-level financial reporting
• Financial modelling — three-statement modelling, scenario analysis, and investment appraisal in Excel or equivalent
• Business partnering — working alongside the CEO, commercial teams, and operational leadership to support decision-making
• Banking and treasury — managing banking relationships, credit facilities, and working capital
• People management — building, leading, and developing a finance team
• Communication — presenting financial information clearly to non-finance audiences including boards, investors, and operational teams

Preferred qualifications and experience

• Sector experience relevant to the business (technology, financial services, manufacturing, professional services, healthcare etc.)
• Experience of the relevant ownership structure (PE-backed, VC-backed, owner-managed, listed, or FCA-regulated)
• Experience of a fundraising, M&A, or exit transaction in a senior finance role
• ERP system implementation or digital finance transformation experience
• International financial management experience where the business has cross-border operations

CFO Salary: UK Benchmarks

CFO compensation in the UK varies significantly by business size, sector, ownership structure, and engagement model. The following ranges reflect the UK market for full-time, permanent CFO appointments:

For a detailed UK CFO salary guide with sector and region breakdowns, see our how much does a CFO earn page.

Fractional CFO Job Description

A fractional CFO performs the same strategic and operational finance leadership role as a full-time CFO, but works on a part-time or portfolio basis — typically one to three days per week across one or more businesses simultaneously. The fractional model has grown rapidly in the UK over the past five years as SMEs, scale-ups, and early-stage businesses have recognised that they need CFO-level strategic finance leadership but cannot justify or afford a full-time CFO at their stage of development.

The fractional CFO job description differs from the permanent CFO description in the following key respects:

• Scope is prioritised: A fractional CFO focuses their limited days on the highest-value activities — typically board reporting, financial model maintenance, banking relationship management, and strategic financial input — delegating day-to-day finance operations to a Financial Controller or Finance Manager
• Day rate rather than salary: Fractional CFOs work on a day rate (typically £750–£1,500/day in the UK) rather than a fixed salary, with no employment costs (pension, NI, benefits) for the business
• Flexible engagement: The engagement is typically structured with a defined number of days per month, reviewed periodically, and can be scaled up or down as business needs change
• Immediate availability: Fractional CFOs can typically start within days of appointment, compared to the three to six month notice periods common for permanent CFO roles

See our fractional CFO recruitment page for the full profile we place for fractional mandates, and our fractional CFO cost guide for UK pricing benchmarks.

CFO Job Description for PE-Backed Businesses

The CFO role in a private equity-backed business carries additional responsibilities that are not typically present in owner-managed businesses of equivalent size. These include:

• Investor reporting: Monthly management accounts and board packs produced to institutional investment standards, typically within eight to ten working days of month-end
• Covenant compliance: For leveraged transactions, monthly or quarterly testing and reporting of financial covenants to lenders
• EBITDA management: Understanding and maintaining the normalised EBITDA basis that was agreed at investment, and presenting EBITDA consistently in all investor communications
• Investment committee presentation: Quarterly participation in portfolio review meetings with the PE house investment team, presenting the financial position and forecast
• Value creation contribution: Active financial contribution to the value creation plan — commercial analysis, acquisition modelling in buy-and-build strategies, and cost optimisation financial oversight
• Exit preparation: In the later stages of the investment cycle, leading the finance workstream for exit — vendor due diligence, data room, information memorandum financial sections

See our CFO recruitment for PE-backed businesses and private equity Finance Director pages for the specific PE CFO profile we recruit to.

CFO vs Finance Director: Which Role Do You Need?

In many UK businesses — particularly those below £50m revenue — the terms CFO and Finance Director are used interchangeably. In others, particularly larger businesses with more complex financial structures, the CFO sits above the Finance Director and carries broader strategic and capital markets responsibility.

As a practical guide: if your business has institutional investors (PE, VC), is listed or planning to list, has significant debt financing, or operates across multiple jurisdictions, the title CFO is more appropriate and the role expectations are higher. If your business is owner-managed, has revenues below £20m, and needs primarily management accounts, banking, and financial planning support, Finance Director is the more common title and the role may be delivered on a part-time or fractional basis.

See our Fractional FD vs CFO guide and Finance Director job description for a detailed comparison of the two roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifications does a CFO need in the UK?

The majority of CFO appointments in the UK require a professional accountancy qualification — typically ACA (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales), ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), or CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). The ICAEW ACA qualification is the most common at CFO level, particularly in businesses with institutional investors or complex audit requirements. Some CFOs hold an MBA alongside their accounting qualification, though the MBA alone is not a substitute for the technical accounting qualification in most UK CFO contexts.

What is the difference between a CFO and a Financial Director?

In most UK SMEs and owner-managed businesses, CFO and Finance Director are interchangeable titles for the most senior finance executive. At larger organisations, particularly those with PE or institutional backing, the CFO may have a broader strategic and capital markets role while the Finance Director focuses more on financial operations and reporting. See our Finance Director job description for a direct comparison.

How long does it take to recruit a CFO?

A permanent CFO search typically takes eight to sixteen weeks from initial brief to offer acceptance, depending on the seniority of the role and the specificity of the requirements. FD Capital typically presents an initial shortlist within five to eight working days of receiving a brief. For interim and fractional CFO requirements — where speed is typically more important — initial candidates can be identified within 24 to 48 hours and an executive can be deployed within days of selection. Call 020 3287 9501 to discuss a current requirement.

What does a CFO do on a day-to-day basis?

The daily activities of a CFO vary significantly depending on the size and stage of the business. In a smaller business, the CFO may be directly involved in management accounts production, banking, payroll oversight, and financial planning alongside their strategic role. In a larger business with a developed finance team, the CFO’s daily activities are more focused on: reviewing financial reports from direct reports, meeting with the CEO and operational leadership on commercial and strategic matters, managing investor and banking relationships, overseeing the finance team’s output, and contributing to business development and strategic planning discussions. See our guide to the CFO role for a comprehensive overview.

How much does a CFO earn in the UK?

CFO salaries in the UK range from £70,000 for smaller SMEs to £350,000+ for listed company CFOs, with significant variation by sector, business size, and ownership structure. Fractional CFO day rates typically run from £750 to £1,500/day. See our comprehensive CFO salary guide for detailed UK benchmarks.

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CFO Recruitment | Fractional CFO | Interim CFO | Part-Time CFO | Outsourced CFO | CFO Executive Search | CFO Headhunters | CFO Salary Guide | Finance Director Job Description | Head of Finance Job Description | Financial Controller Job Description | CFO Interview Questions | CFO for PE-Backed Businesses | Listed Company CFO | Hire a CFO